A Very Happy Asher Update

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings on this fantastic Fall day!  The colors in Virginia are in full swing and we are taking it in as much as we can.  

On Friday, we had an appointment with Asher's heart and lung doctors - the first since July.  They were amazed again at his progress, and his sweet smiles and spunk through the exams.  They were also able to get a very thorough echocardiogram (ultrasound) of his heart, as he zoned out watching Elmo on the big screen in front of him.  This echo was able to show us something that previous ones had not, and made it much easier for our cardiologist to advise us against Asher's need for heart surgery!  That may not sound like great news, but let me explain.  The ultrasound was able to show us, by measuring pressures and seeing the blood flow through the pulmonary valve in the heart, that the two holes in Asher's heart are actually releasing pressure on his underdeveloped lungs, and allowing him to stay alive and grow!  In a way, those holes are the reason he is still with us! 

This brings us great joy because it means the decision has (for now) been made for us and we do not need to risk using general anesthesia for surgery!  We are, however, considering a procedure under conscious sedation and local anesthesia or epidural whereby a g-tube could be placed in his stomach.  This would give him the ability to take in real (blenderized) foods instead of formula and the like, which are hard on his system.  He wouldn't need his NG feeding tube (through his nose) any more, which might help his oral feeding skills, and the new tube wouldn't come out as easily as the current one does.  There would still be risk, but not nearly as much as there was with the heart catheterization or repair that we thought we would need before. More to come on this issue, just wanted to let you know how you can be praying.

Asher's Baptism, October 25, 2014

At his appointment this week

One year ago, today, we celebrated Asher's baptism and welcomed him into God's family.  It was amid much uncertainty that many of you joined us for that event, both in body and in spirit.  An unforgettably glorious fall day - filled with both joy and deep longing for his very life to be sustained.  One year later, this little miracle is happy, growing, and amazing us daily with his sweet personality!  God has sustained him and us at every step, and will sustain us still, by His grace.